this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2024
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From Trump campaign signs to Planned Parenthood bumper stickers, license plate readers around the US are creating searchable databases that reveal Americans’ political leanings and more.

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[–] antlion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 4 hours ago (7 children)

I’m looking for some adversarial material - numbers and letters at various angles that I can stick to the left and right of my license plate. To a human it will be obvious which part is my license plate but it might be sufficient to confuse an ALPR algorithm.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 1 points 45 minutes ago

I am curious what just running it over with a yellow highlighter might do at night

[–] 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 2 points 42 minutes ago

The readers are smart enough to distinguish between them, so it won't actually do what you want. You could try to flood the plate with IR and cover the plate with clear-to-human IR reflecting cover. Might work. Might not.

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[–] Avg@lemm.ee 24 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Time for a bobby drop table sticker

[–] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 7 hours ago

QR code sticker-bomb

[–] Shortstack@reddthat.com 92 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (5 children)

Alright! Dystopian nightmare timeline is a go!

I especially like the part where cops are reported to heavily abuse these databases for personal agendas or to share with criminals. Truly ACAB

This is a very good reason to maintain the appearance of neutrality while facing your local community

This might even be an argument for putting those smoked opaque covers on your license plates even if it's questionably legal. There's more than a few people out there with definitely not legal smoked covers to the point you literally can't read their plates unless you're tailgating them, and cops don't give a shit because nobody is ever pulled over for illegal mods. I'd wager that the cameras can't read them either if you can't at 10 yards

[–] qprimed@lemmy.ml 15 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (1 children)

I'd wager that the cameras can't read them either if you can't at 10 yards

I might not take a bet on that. most license plates use reflective paint to aid in this. it would surprise me if paint and cameras are not tuned to at least one non human-visible wavelength.

polarized plate covers, specialized spray coatings, etc may work, but I am not betting my freedom on it. time to go bond style and get rotating plates.

[–] notfromhere@lemmy.ml 4 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

What about a thin e-ink layer plus led layer display that fits over the plate and would block the plate while displaying a digital plate over it? May need a few rounds of evolution there but might work

[–] qprimed@lemmy.ml 2 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

very cool idea. they will counter with RFID or turn the plate into the equiv of a qrcode. store a cryptographically secure hash of the plate number and you pretty much put an end to that, no?. if I cant get a crypto signed version of your plate, flag the the car as a scofflaw (or worse) and track it as it travels in other ways. I think we are pretty much screwed without a change in laws.

with anti-women laws in some of these states, this is terrifying.

[–] Redjard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

You could just copy others signed codes, so you would also need some sort of totp system.
Then you could still place some camera capturing and streaming plates of parked cars in real time, so you'd either need 2 way communication with the license plates, where the cameraa tell them to show a code for some specific nonce, and which you could then potentially still stream so would also need severe latency checks, or you would have to get way more reliable gps and make that part of the totp.

[–] qprimed@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 hour ago
  • plate number is tied to a VIN which describes the make/model. (sir, this is a ~~wendys~~ toyota. where is the honda?)

  • replies not required from the plate - plate has a specialized qrcode printed across the entire plate (infrared reflector?) with an identifier (lic + other public info?) and signed with an RSA keypair - reader can authenticate the information and a qrcode read counts as a verifiably good read

  • ...or just ship RFID tags in the yearly inspection stickers - same cryptographic concept

none of this is hard or costly. only impediment is public rejection and we all know that can be managed.

[–] notfromhere@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 hours ago

We’re probably decades away from them countering with anything meaningful like that unless large swaths of people start doing it.

[–] JoYo@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

those covers do not effect license plate cameras.

the only people this prevents from view6the numbers are pedestrians and other drivers.

[–] nnullzz@lemmy.world 42 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

The real dystopian nightmare is the one where everyone conforms and acts neutral out of fear. That’s how we really lose who we are and any sense of improving the situation.

[–] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 6 points 9 hours ago

There are other ways to resist, esp in the days of the internet.

Modern tech permits state actors to obtain real life information about your where abouts. This tech now appears to be percolating to street police. There is a lot of abuse already happening but we are several big cases away before the daddy sam tryied to reign this shit in, if ever.

Point being got to be careful when dealing with the state or other quasi state insinuations as such corporation. Remember when Chevron got a lawyer with some bullshit criminal conviction with a private prosecutors as retaliation about his work on case against them in LatAm?

[–] LunarVoyager@lemmy.world 12 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

What you need are two things: a sunflexzone IR reflecting cover behind a ghostplate cover. The second one turns black when photographed at an angle such as a stoplight camera.

[–] Landless2029@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

I wonder if it would be illegal to put IR lights around your plate to blind the camera ...

Gears turning...

Yep. Then automatic tolls and traffic cams can't track you. Cop would pull you over real quick.

[–] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 hours ago

If you rtfa you'd see there is already an easy workaround for this. You just need to be driving faster than 150mph and the camera can't read the plate.

Also, this isn't what the article is about. I think it bad enough there is a network of cops and scumbags (guess that's redundant) recording all this LP data into the DRN network, but it's being abused to go well beyond LP data as a free for all search of acquired imagery.

[–] mesamunefire@lemmy.world 46 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Wow this article goes into the nuance. And it terrified me.

[–] qprimed@lemmy.ml 21 points 9 hours ago

a big thank you for your comment. comments like these really do help me to not skip worthwhile articles.

[–] SacredHeartAttack@lemmy.world 44 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

I’ve never wanted to post signs in my yard or put stickers on my bumpers because I didn’t want PEOPLE judging me. And people are judgmental. Now I’m glad I had that opinion because we have to worry about computers logging us so we can be judged in the future for whatever weird reason someone comes up with?

What happened to freedoms in America? It’s easy for a government to strip them after the people stop believing in them being important. Corporations are making free thought and self expression unimportant and dangerous and the gov’t will have no choice but to curb our freedoms in response. And we will cheer it on. I hate this shit.

[–] atrielienz@lemmy.world 13 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)

We got attacked and then in fear gave away our freedoms for the promise of more protections. There were people blowing the whistle each time but we ignored them. Patriot Act. Lobbying to not consider social platforms news aggregates. Lobbying to not pay news outlets, Lobbying to weaken anti-trust laws. Lobbying to kill legislation protecting children online. Lobbying against legislation to protect user privacy. Lobbying for the use of tech like facial recognition.

This kind of thing has been happening for ages.

[–] Seleni@lemmy.world 1 points 52 minutes ago

Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 2 points 7 hours ago

What happened to freedoms in America? It’s easy for a government to strip them after the people stop believing in them being important.

Add to that how much more difficult (and time consuming and expensive) it is to build/rebuild than it is to destroy and you've got a real problem on your hands.

[–] IMNOTCRAZYINSTITUTION@lemmy.world 40 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

this kind of thing is why I do not advertise my politics at all. no bumper stickers or yard signs or campaign t shirts. im even registered without a party so you can't look up my affiliation. and I don't talk politics on the internet because nothing is truly anonymous. if someone wants to come after you they will be able to find you with enough effort.

[–] shasta@lemm.ee 9 points 5 hours ago

Sounds like you're not loyal enough to The Party. If you were a good citizen, you wouldn't have anything to hide. Throw him in the gulag!

[–] mctoasterson@reddthat.com 33 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

This is and has been a big deal for a while. Do we really want easily trackable movements on every major road? What happens when they start feeding that data into federal fusion centers for cataloging and storage "just in case" they need it later?

What happens when a regime that criminalizes dissent has access to realtime vehicular and individual (via mobile phone) tracking data?

[–] Waraugh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

They already do this to flag potential traffickers. I’m not sure what we want has anything to do with what happens.

[–] lepinkainen@lemmy.world 28 points 4 hours ago

But a digital gun database is unconstitutional?

[–] BossDj@lemm.ee 21 points 8 hours ago

I wish we could elect people we trust

[–] uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 points 4 hours ago

This is old news from a decade ago, before the US public was aware how the police had long been fabricating probable cause (and gunning down Americans by the hundreds) and SCOTUS had been carving out exceptions to the fourth and fifth amendments to the Constitution of the United States.

Then Trump won in 2016 and we saw what it looked like under mask-off tyranny. And now we're one election away from one-party autocracy.

The police state is here. It always was. 🌍👨‍🚀🧑‍🚀🔫

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 17 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

there's a town nearby with dispensaries that have some amazing deals. there also happen to be three red light cams and two license plate readers the have been reported to give their information to out of state agencies and ICE on the two other stoplights in town. You can't convince me that's not some kind of honeypot.

[–] Stonewyvvern@lemmy.world 14 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

They literally scan your ID when you buy green in my state. They already know who you are and where you live. The cameras are to keep people honest (intimidated).

[–] tempest@lemmy.ca 5 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

I mean in addition to all that even if they didn't scan your id of you pay with anything but cash then the credit card company or bank knows and can be made to give up that info pretty easily.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 9 points 3 hours ago (2 children)

Not a single cannabis store that I know of in the US accepts credit card. They're all cash only because the banks don't want any part of it. (Technically it's still federally illegal, and they don't want to get in trouble as national business)

[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 6 points 3 hours ago

I have seen many run it as an ATM transaction rounded to the nearest dollar and refund the change in cash. I saw this in two states.

Having said that. I love cash only businesses. Visa and the other CC companies have way too much power. We should all go back to cash tomorrow, but we won't.

I ran a business, not weed related, that was cash only for the better part of 5 years. When I started taking cards I made sure cash and bitcoin were also options. The only downside was going to the bank every week to grab stacks of small bills for change. The upside was never having to deal with credit cards and every payment settling instantly when the cash changed hands. Under $100, cash is king.

[–] BlitzoTheOisSilent@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

Not a single cannabis store that I know of in the US accepts credit card.

False. Went to one in June, 2024, in New York City, right around Time's Square, and the guy behind the counter asked if I was paying via cash, debit, or credit.

I asked him about the credit option, and he said Visa has started working with some dispensaries and offering their credit services for payment. I even mentioned it to a dispensary employee in Maine (they only accept cash), and he said the same thing: Visa is the only one that's barely starting to offer credit service for dispensaries.

[–] Drusas@fedia.io 1 points 2 hours ago

That person was reporting their experience. It's not false that they have not seen it. I haven't, either.

[–] TK420@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Lots of “stores” sell “weed” (delta 8) and that’s not illegal for credit cards.

You are not buying real weed from a real dispensary in the US with a credit card, yet. One day, but if you aren’t paying cash, that’s a red flag.

Yep, that must be why I walked into a dispensary, that sold only recreational and medicinal marijuana to adults aged 21+, that checked all IDs at the door, and reverified them by the cashier. Then, after completing my transaction using a debit card, and having my aforementioned conversation with the cashier, who was wearing the identification as is required by all states with recreational marijuana on a lantern around their neck, and proceeded to leave with legitimate marijuana...

I know delta 8 and all those substitutes. This was a legitimate dispensary advertising and using Visa for credit transactions for their purchases.

Hence why I said they're very barely doing so, but Visa appears to at least be starting to, and that your statement of "no store selling marijuana will use a credit care" was false.

[–] LesserAbe@lemmy.world 12 points 5 hours ago

Yeah that's pretty dystopian. Something worse hasn't been done with it probably just because many bad actors haven't been aware its an option.

[–] beejjorgensen@lemmy.sdf.org 10 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Hmm. I have a bumper sticker that says "I ❤️ Nuclear War". I wonder what bucket that puts me in.

[–] borari@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 6 hours ago

The non credible defense bucket.

[–] Blaster_M@lemmy.world 9 points 1 hour ago
[–] UncleGrandPa@lemmy.world 5 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

With enough readers ... Your location and minute by minute tracking of your every movement

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 1 points 47 minutes ago

Or just the phone in your car or on your person.

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